Celebration of engineering science
03 Jul 08
Over 500 staff, alumni and friends of the Department of Engineering Science turned out to celebrate the Centenary of engineering science at Oxford.
The garden party celebration, which took place at Keble College on 28 June, was the climax of a year of lectures, seminars and exhibitions to mark the founding of the department in 1908.
The event also saw the launch of a commemorative book, 'Mechanicks in the Universitie: A history of Engineering Science at Oxford' written by Alastair Howatson.
Speakers included the Vice-Chancellor, Dr John Hood, Head of Department, Professor Richard Darton, and the Centenary's patron, Lord Jenkin - grandson of Professor Charles Frewen Jenkin, Oxford's first Professor of Engineering Science.
Deputy Head of Department Professor Alistair Borthwick was master of ceremonies and greeted visitors in his grandfather's hundred year-old top hat and frock coat. Special attractions included artist Rita Greer's paintings of Robert Hooke and Christopher Wren as well as displays by the Department's industry partners including Froude Hofmann and Rolls-Royce plc.
Top: Guests enjoy Keble's gardens. Middle: [L to R] Lord Jenkin, Professor Richard Darton and Dr John Hood. Bottom: Classical quartet of staff and partners.
The commemorative book lanched at the party. The book's cover features the sculpture from the Department's roof showing youthful engineering subduing the earth (a tortoise). The scuplture was designed by Margaret Jenkin, the sister-in-law of Oxford's first professor of engineering science.